In a basic automated telephone information system, a PC incorporating a number of voice processing boards with appropriate software is connected to a data base. The data base may be internal residing inside the PC in a truly basic system or it may be external being connected through a local area network (LAN). In one typical example, there are 48 telephone lines connected from the telephone company to the telephone information system. The PC associated with the system contains a mass storage device such as a hard disk containing digitized messages. The system communicates with a caller by transmitting analog messages through the appropriate channel of an associated voice processing board, after the digitized message has been converted to analog form. A caller communicates with the system by pushing tone buttons on the caller's telephone set.
The action to be taken in response to a caller's input is decided by the system with the aid of a set of instructions embodied in a software file called the Instruction Matrix which is unique to each application. In a typical example, a caller may be making inquiry of the Internal Revenue Service and after dialing the appropriate number on Touch Tone dial, (Touch Tone is a trademark of AT&T) receives a recorded message to push the numeral "1" if information is desired concerning a refund check. The caller would then push the "1" button on his hand set and receive in response a recorded message asking for entry of the caller's social security number. In response to the entry of the social security number, the computer would then institute a search of the data base (which might be remote from the automatic telephone information system) and play back a message based on the information uncovered in the search. Such a message might be: "the check is in the mail". The typical system just described requires that the caller have a touch tone telephone.
A problem arises when the caller does not have a Touch Tone telephone but is rather equipped with a rotary dial telephone. It is estimated that 25% of all telephones in the United States are of the rotary type.
In order to solve the problem of effectuating an automatic telephone information system for use with callers having rotary telephones, it has been proposed in the past that a private branch exchange (PBX) be inserted between the lines coming from the telephone company and the telephone information system. Operators are connected directly to the PBX. When a caller with a rotary dial places a call, he will be unable to respond with a tone response requested by the system. The system recognizes this lack of response as indicating a rotary dial caller. The Instruction Matrix will then conference the caller with an operator, through the PBX. The operator will be able to hear the responses of the caller, but generally will not be able to speak to the caller. The function of the operator in this instance is to translate a verbal response by the caller into a tone signal to the system, by the operator's physically actuating a Touch Tone pad. The telephone information system senses the tone input and reacts just as if the tones had emanated from the caller.
It is an object of the present invention to accomplish "conferencing" without the use of any substantial additional hardware, such as a PBX, beyond that included in the automated telephone information system itself.